Health Tip: When to Use CPR

Find out when this life-saving technique may be needed

By Joan Raymond

If someone slumps to the ground and is unresponsive, you’d probably think to start CPR. But what if that person is gasping for air? Many bystanders assume that gasping (or even labored breathing) is a sign that a victim doesn’t need CPR, but that’s not true, says Gordon Ewy, MD, chief of cardiology at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center. If the person is gasping, it means there’s still minimal blood flow to the brain—but she needs CPR to increase her odds of survival. Bottom line: If someone doesn’t respond when you grab her and shout her name, call 911 and keep chest compressions going until paramedics arrive. (Mouth-to-mouth breathing is no longer routinely recommended because it doesn’t improve survival rates.)

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